The fengshui way

Love it or hate it, we are knee deep in moving season in our lively college town. There are the lucky few who have retained their residences over the summer, but for most it's cardboard box heaven as the process of unpacking begins. But with a new living space on your hands, a question presents itself : "Where's all my stuff going to go?" Just getting rid of the boxes is the setup strategy for some, but recognizing home as a sanctuary prompts others to carefully consider an ideal room layout. Such an intuitive sense of comfort is just what fuels the ancient Chinese practice of Feng Shui. \nFeng Shui, which translates as "wind and water," has traditionally incorporated geography, philosophy, math, astrology, aesthetics and religion, according to "The Practical Encyclopedia of Feng Shui: Understanding the Ancient Arts of Placement." \nIt can be a complicated, technical philosophy with various charts and formulas to calculate energy levels, personality types and, ultimately, direction for furniture placement. \nSome IU students have already experimented with Feng Shui in their homes. Junior Troy Engelhardt, creator of the Facebook group "If its Not Feng Shui then I Don't Want To Hear about it, and Yes I am a designer," has a sense of humor about the topic but nonetheless finds it a very effective practice in the home. \n"There are practical reasons for the specific placement of furniture around the house," Engelhardt said. "It makes it look better but is also more welcoming. You wouldn't put a couch facing away from the front door; then you wouldn't be able to see the people come in. It's all pretty much common sense." \nStill, some who practice Feng Shui say people in Western cultures have since taken the tradition and simplified it to the general concept of maintaining a harmonious balance of self, home and nature. \n"Today's Feng Shui has been very Westernized," said Bill Land, owner of Lotus Tuan Feng Shui, a school and consulting business run out of Nashville, Ind. "It has gotten away from very complex Chinese astrology."\nLand, who has taught Feng Shui classes at Purdue University, Ball State University and IU-Purdue University-Indianapolis, said that he particularly focuses on homes, offices and stores. \n"I have been hired to Feng Shui students' apartments at IU," he said, noting that having an environment that is conducive to study is of utmost importance in a college environment. He suggests a few quick tips to make a college living space more supportive for success: working on a clean surface, minimizing clutter, removing old school projects from work area, having academically inspirational images around your work area and designating a place away from your desk for reading and relaxing. \nCarol Bridges, Feng Shui consultant based in Nashville, Ind., and author of "A Soul in Place: Reclaiming Home As Sacred Space," also said college students could benefit from using Feng Shui.\n"It doesn't matter your age -- your space should support the phase of your life that you're experiencing," she said.\nFeng Shui enthusiasts would suggest that the room is lacking good Chi flow, a well-known Eastern philosophy, which is defined as the life force of all living things, and needs a few simple adjustments to become a comfortable environment, if it is perceived as unwelcoming. \nSuggestions to spruce up a drab area would include allowing natural light to come in and using candles, mirrors, or still water to add energy to the space. In addition, Dwarf Bananas, Boston ferns, Peace Lilies or Lady Palms plants can be added to clean the air, according to "The Practical Encyclopedia of Feng Shui." \nFeng Shui can be applied to other aspects of life: personal health, home gardens and cars. For example, it is believed that the human body has channels which enable Chi to run through. If the passageway is interfered with due to sickness or injury, the Chi is disturbed and therefore the body reacts negatively. In this situation, acupuncture is used and needles are strategically placed in the problem areas to relieve the blockage so that the Chi may pass through again.\nCars are even believed to have Chi and to reflect one's mental state (i.e., chaos and mental disorder directly correspond with a messy car.) Reducing clutter and organizing loose objects in the car are quick ways to improve your car's Chi. Also, any "unfinished" repair such as a broken tail light or rattling car part should be resolved.